Decorticator for hulling grains



Jan. 17, 1956 E. GRIMARD 2,731,052

I DECORTICATOR FOR HULLING GRAINS Filed April 23. 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Tal=:- L

Jan. 17, 1956 E. GRIMARD DECORTICATOR FOR HULLING GRAINS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 23. 1952 Jan- 7. 5 E. GRIMARD DECORTICATOR FOR HULLING GRAINS I5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 23. 1952 United States Patent '6 DECQRTIC F R GR S E ard. G im rdr Li ge. e ium Application Apr-i123, 195,2, SerialNo. 283,858 Claimsrpriori rt applica ion Be gium April; 2: 951-.

1 Claim. (Cl. 146-490 This invention relates; to. decorticators. for alli r in of corn, or other cereals, the apparatusbeing oi the ype comprising a. vertical cylindrical ves el. n which here re volves avertical shaft carrying. rubbing members, which may be separated by fixed bafiles.

An object of the, present invention is to. subjecthe. grains, when. under treatment, to. continuous; rubbi g and: rolling motions during the rotation of the, vertical shaft Another object is to improve.=the.-distribution1 and. the. hulling of the. grains. Other objects will hereinafter appear.

According to. the, invention, a rotor element. carrying: the rubbing: members (if desired in a detachable, and interchangeable. manner). constitutedby a hub. upon the shaft, provided atits: periphery and. at difierent levels with sets. of arms extending'in. radial directions, either here pendicularly or in an inc-lined relation. to. the vertical axis; of the shaft, alternate arms being-provided with rubbing. members. in the form of vertical. cylindrical pegs, and; withv rubbing members, in the form or vertical blades; or vanes; inclined at an angleto the radius of the respective-arm.

Theimproved apparatus may comprise any' number of:

rotor elements; of conic-a1: aspect, having the arms extend-e. ing in inclined relation to. the. axis, withat least: one flat; rotor element, having the arms extending perpendicularly: to the axis, this fiat element facing an opening for discharge of the material, or itmay comprise only 'il'at rotor elements, mounted upon the central; shaft.

After the introduction into the apparatus of theg rains, which have been subjected to a suitab degree qf'humidi' fication witha view to the operation of" hul'ling or stripping the. pcricarp, there will thus be obtained a rubbing and rolling of the grains over and in relation, to oneangther, due to the particular form of the rotor elementsand rub.- bing members, which brings about in a perfect manner the stripping of the pericarp from the grain properly so-called, which is the result envisaged.

Decorticator apparatus provided with the improved rotor elements can be constructed in different ways and there will be described in the course of the present specification by way of example two embodiments of the decorticator, after having described the rotor elements which form the characteristic features thereof.

The invention is hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings which represent by way of explanation and not of limitation, the improved deconicator elements and two forms of apparatus embodying such elements; in these drawings,

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a rotor element of conical aspect with its arms inclined in relation to the horizontal and to the vertical axis.

Fig. 2 represents in elevation the development of the central hub of the rotor element represented in Fig. 1 showing the angular relation of the arms at the periphery of the hub.

Fig. 3 is a view analogous with Fig. 1, but showing a. flat rotor element, with its arms inclined to the horizontal but perpendicular to the axis.

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Fig. 4-. is. a. view. analogous with. Fig. 2, but illustrating by. way of example an arrangement of the hub for exclusively horizontal arms.

. Fig, 5 issaplanviewof'Fig. 3.

Fig. 61 1:cpresents, an elevation partiallyin sectionof a decorticatonembodying three rotor elements of conical aspect and o'nefia-t rotor element,

Fig, 7' representsan elevation. partially in section of another form 015 decorticator embodying only. three flat elements.

- Referring to. Fig. lv which represents a rotor element of conical. aspect, 1; represents a: central hub or sleeve intended to be fixed upon a vertical rotary shaft, for example by, pinsorset screws 5:; A number of radial: arms 2 in the form of fiat bars are fixed: at an angle and at two. dilferent levels upon the hnb.on sleeve 1, see Fig. 2; each arm extends. outhornv the hub. 1 in a radial: sense but is inclined in relation to thevertical axis of the hub. 1. Some of the arms 2;, for example three. out of six, are provided with vertical, cylindricalpegs passing transversely through them to act as combs or strippers; these pegs may be all of'equal height on'either side of the arm, 2-, like the pegsv 4, or they may be fixed at different heights: in relation to the inclined plane. of the corresponding arm, like the pegs 6 and 7. 'Iihesepegs4, 6: and, 7% are in alignment one behind another along the respective arm and spaced apart at equal dis-.

tances. Other arms 2: alternating. with the arms carrying the cylindrical pegs 4, 6; anti. 1', are preferably set at the lower ofthe two: levels;v upon the. hub. 1-, as best seen in Fig. 2; these arms are provided. with flat blades or vanes 3 I ofi fi t bars disposed-1am two. difierentlevels: upon the hub.

or sleeve ha... butextending perpendicularly to. the axis, contrary to. the arms. in Fig. 1; these arms 2a may: be inclined, like those of Figs. l and 2, or set perpendicular to the axis, for example asin Fig, 4'.

It will be. noted that in all cases an. arm 2- or 2a carrying page 4,, 6. or; 7;, will alternate in circumferential direction with an arm 2 or Zacarrying-blades or vanes 3, as clearlyseen n Fig. 5; any number of hubs 1 and/or 1a may be fined upon a central driying; shaft the hubs being staggered inv relation to oneanother in. the. circumferential direction.

Fig. 6, represents, one, example, of myimproved decorticator tor-med; by upright vessel 12, provided with one solid end or base 17 and a removable lid 15 having openings 16 for the introduction of the grain material, a number of external bolts 13 with locking nuts 14 fixing the assembly in a quite rigid manner. A vertical shaft 9 revolves in a ball-bearing journal 10 mounted in the lid 15, and its lower extremity revolves in a footstep bearing 11 in the bottom end or base 17.

Inside the vessel 12 there is shown a funnel 27 fixed in position by means ofgussets 34, its central opening 28 distributing the material poured in through the opening 16, in the direction of the arrows on to the rotor element of conical aspect formed by the topmost hub 1 and the inclined arms 2 carried thereby.

The vertical shaft 9 is provided with a series of these rotor elements of conical aspect, such as represented in Figs. 1 and 2; at the bottom there is a fiat element such as represented for example in Figs. 3 and 5, but preferably having its arms 2a set fiat as in Fig. 4. The arms 2 secured to each huh I are shown projecting at different levels.

The hubs 1 are shown separated from one another by fixed frusto-conical baflies each comprising for example a frusto-conical wall 29 forming a collector, its outer periphery having one or more gaps or other passages 30 for the discharge of the material on to a lower frusto-conical wall 31, which brings back the material towards the center, where it falls again through an opening 32 on to the next huh I carrying inclined elements, this outward and inward travel of the material being repeated on the following stages.

The baffle walls 29 and 31 may be connected together by distance pieces 33, as shown, but this is not indispensable; the said walls 29 and 31can be fixed separately in the interior of the vessel 12 by means of gussets such as 34.

It is to be noted that the baffles 29 and 31 may be omitted in the case where the vessel 12 is intended to be filled with grains; the latter will then not be compelled to travel along the alternately outward and inward path indicated by the arrows represented along the battle walls 29 and 31.

In the wall near the bottom of the vessel 12 there is arranged a tangential opening 19 regulated by a register 19a of arcuate shape, controlled from the exterior, in order to regulate the delivery into the discharge conduit 18; upon the latter there is connected the intake of a conduit for sucking off the husks or pericarps of the dehulled grains, while the latter are conveyed by gravity to their eventual destination.

The arms such as 2 and 2a in each rotor element of the apparatus may with advantage be six in number, as shown in Fig. 5, but the invention is not limited to any specific number of arms, nor to the number of rotor elements of conical aspect and flat rotor elements, Figs. 1 and 2 respectively, to be utilized in the decorticator.

The operation of the decorticator will be easily understood from Fig. 6, the arrangement of the rotor elements,

causing the grains during the rotation of the shaft 9 to be continually combed, rubbed and rolled over one another and in relation to one another, whereby there is obtained a high-quality product; the apparatus may be employed to treating grain of any nature or origin. v i v Fig. 7 illustrates another embodiment'of the invention, utilizing the same external arrangement asin Fig. 6, but with certain internal difierences; first, the central vertical shaft 20 revolves in an upper bearing 21 supported by the lid which is provided with openings 16, and it rests inpel 27 and its central opening 28 being regulated in suitable relation to the discharge which takes place at 18 as above described.

It will be noted that by the comb-like constructions of the rotor elements with pegs or projections from the radial arms, a very efiective stripping action is obtained.

It is obvious that other forms of embodiment of the decorticator may be contemplated, comprising acornbination of rotor elements like those represented in Figs. 6 and 7; as already pointed out, these embodiments are described by way of explanation of applications of the invention, without excluding the possibility of construction of other forms, for example like that of Fig. 6 but without the batfles 29 and 31.

What I claim is:

A decorticator for hulling humidified grain including a vessel having a vertical cylindrical wall and an inlet and outlet at the top and bottom, respectively of the vessel, a vertical shaft mounted to revolve in said vessel and having a plurality of rotor elements each comprising a hub and two groups of arms extending radially therefrom in alternate positions and inclined upwardly with respect to the axis of rotation of the shaft, said rotor elements being spaced from each other on said shaft, a series of frustoconical baflies arranged in pairs between successive rotor elements and secured within said vessel at vertically spaced locations to define an annular space between each pair of bafiles, the upper one of each of said pairs of bafiles having discharge passages adjacent the outer periphery thereof, and the lower baffie of each pair, at its inside edge, defining a central opening around said shaft, and a lowermost rotor element on said shaft comprising arms disposed perpendicularly to the shaft, whereby grain supplied to said vessel through said inlet is moved radially outward and upwardly by each of said plurality of rotor elements in turn over the upper one of the underlying pair of baffles to fall through said discharge passages into said annular space where the grain moves, bygravity, radially inward and downwardly to fall through said central opening for operation thereon by the next lower one of said plurality of rotor elements.-

. -References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,345,273 I Stapp June 29, 1920 

